


Partners in Crime

by AshenStatic



Category: Baldi's Basics (Video Game)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Crushes, Detention, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, For a Friend, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-06-01 10:52:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15141509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AshenStatic/pseuds/AshenStatic
Summary: Another day, another round of catching the student and sending them to detention for breaking the rules. The Principal always kept a diligent eye out for rule-breakers, and this time was no different.Now if only he could stop thinking about Professor Baldi all the time.(PrinciBaldi Collection; Requests Open)





	1. No Running in the Halls

        He had a feeling.

 

        The Principal of the Thing scoured the halls, eyes roaming back and forth for a certain student. They broke a rule, he could just _feel_ it. They were doing something wrong, and if he wanted to send them to Detention, then he would actually have to _see_ it, but ooh, they were going to be in _so much trouble_ when he found them. If only he could hear as well as Professor Baldi, then maybe he'd be able to catch the annoying troublemaker. Unfortunately, that's not how things worked around here. The Principal had better sight then he did hearing, despite the fact that his eyes were just black, soulless voids of nothing, so he relied on them in order to catch a student in the act.

 

        That being said, he could still hear well enough to catch the rhythmic _tap tap tap_ of Professor Baldi's ruler. Looks like this student was also bad at math, which only fueled the Principal's drive to catch them. He certainly couldn't have an uneducated, rule-breaking delinquent in school. There was already the required Bully, nobody needed _another_ troublemaker. The Principal would just have to throw them in Detention again, perhaps for an entire minute this time. Having to wait that long would likely be enough for Professor Baldi to catch up to the rowdy student and do what he did best; discipline them. Maybe then the student would learn their lesson. Heck, if the Principal got lucky, he might even be able to catch the teacher in the hall afterwards and get a chance to talk to him! Anything to spend a little time with him, at least. Baldi was a very driven man, and the Principal couldn't help but want to talk to him more, despite the persona he often displayed. To be honest, that's just what drew the Principal in even further. Baldi always looked so intimidating with that ruler of his, and the angry frown on the teacher's face added an extra element of danger, which always sent a thrill of excitement through the Principal any time he passed by him in the halls. And good god, when the teacher finally _smiled-_

 

        Hang on, that thought process was a little... Oh my...

 

        The Principal went a little red as he realized he had done it again, whistling nervously to try and get rid of the embarrassment. He really should stop doing that. Having those thoughts about Professor Baldi was unprofessional, and not only that, but  the Principal was undeniably sure that the teacher didn't think about him in the same way. He loved math quite a lot, and the Principal had already accepted that he would never take a higher priority than the numbers Baldi loved so much. Still, he would be okay. As long as he could still see that wonderful smile of his, hear that lovely voice that sent shivers down his spine, brush against those surprisingly soft hands as he handed off some paperwork-

 

        ...Shoot, he did it again.

 

        With another bout of whistling, the Principal of the Thing continued patrolling the halls in search of the rogue student on the run. Catching them would surely take his mind off of things, so he forced himself to focus and tried to drown out the constant tapping of a ruler in the background. Where had he seen the student last? Was it by the Cafeteria? No, no, it was by one of the School Faculty doors. He remembered seeing the student standing there in the hallway making shifty eyes motions between him and the door as he walked by. Ugh, if they went in there, he was going to- wait, there they go!

 

        _"No running in the halls!"_ The student stumbled in surprise at the sound of his voice, which allowed the Principal to catch up to them and hook a hand under their shoulder. In an instant, the two of them were teleported into Detention, and the Principal dropped the student into one of the desks in the room. "One minute Detention for you. When will you learn?"

 

        "Wh-" The student gaped at him in surprise for a moment, only for their face to contort in rage as they finally comprehended what had just happened. "God damn it, _really?! Right now?!?_ " The aggressive profanity caught the Principal off guard, but he quickly bounced back and gave the child a stern glare.

 

        "You do _not_ speak that way to your superiors. _Two_ minutes Detention." The student met his glare with their own.

 

        "Fuck you, old man!"

 

        _"Three minutes."_

 

        _"ARRGGHH!!"_ The additional time made the student groan in frustration, and they dropped their head on the desk in defeat soon after. Three minutes was way too long to wait. They were going to die in here.

 

        Satisfied with their silence, the Principal sat down at his desk and crossed his arms, focusing his gaze on the dejected student. For that little mishap, he was going to sit here and make sure they didn't skip out on their punishment this time. He tried not to pay attention to the tapping that was growing ever closer, telling himself that he had extended the student's time to punish them and not for Baldi to- Oh, speak of the devil. That was quicker than he expected.

 

        The Principal sat at his desk, watching as Professor Baldi opened the Detention room door and stepped inside, still tapping that ruler in his hands. The student immediately shot up from their desk, tripping backwards over the chair and backing up into the corner.

 

        "Two minutes, thirty seconds left." The Principal called out the time remaining, cementing the reality that there was now way for the student to escape. They were stuck here. They knew it, the Principal knew it, and now, so did Baldi. The knowledge of this was enough for his deep, angry frown to turn up into a delighted smile, causing the Principal to inhale sharply at the sight. He hoped the professor didn't manage to catch that gasp of his. If he did, then he showed no signs of acknowledgment as he took slow, menacing steps towards the student, his smile widening as he got closer and closer until he was bearing down right on top of their cowering form. Baldi raised his ruler high in one hand, and with a manic grin, he brought it down. _Hard._

 

        Oh wow.

 

        Despite the gruesome beating the student was receiving, the Principal found himself unable to look away as Baldi wielded his ruler with a surprising amount of force. The teacher wasn't very big, but judging by the strength being displayed at the moment, he was a lot stronger than he let on. A funny feeling fluttered in the Principal's stomach as he watched the other man discipline the troublemaker, and seconds passed until he finally realized he had been staring at more than just the teacher's technique. Whoops.

 

        Having caught himself thinking inappropriately once again, the Principal stood from his desk and turned to leave the room, whistling to himself as if it would disguise the red hue that had bloomed on his face. As he stepped into the hall, he failed to notice the way Baldi momentarily paused in his beating to give him a sideways glance. A few thoughts ran through the teacher's mind, but they were interrupted by the broken whimpering of the student curled up on the floor. Baldi looked down at them, an annoyed gleam in his eyes as he shrugged, deciding that they'd had enough. There was something he had to do before returning to his classroom.

 

        Shaking off whatever blood he could from his ruler, Baldi strode out of the Detention room and followed the sound of whistling, moving fast and with a purpose. It was as he turned a corner that he caught sight of the other faculty member moving down the hall, and the teacher couldn't help the smile that snuck onto his face.

 

        "Oh, Principal!" The other man paused in his steps, shoulders noticeably tensing before turning to face him. This was gonna be good.

 

        "...Yes, Professor Baldi?" He stopped in front of the Principal, making sure to stand just a little too close for comfort.

 

        "I'd just like to thank you for being such a good sport and stopping that reckless student of mine! They _really_ needed to be taught a lesson, you know." His statement caused the Principal to stutter and blush just a little, and Baldi smiled wider as the other turned to look elsewhere in an attempt to hide it.

 

        " _N-No, I didn't- Um..._ I-I was just...doing my job, was all..." The teacher took a step closer, tilting his head in an endearing manner and enjoying the Principal's struggle as he tried not to let the close contact bother him. It clearly wasn't working.

 

        "Oh, then I better make sure to thank the narrator for making you so good at your job, otherwise we never would have gotten this chance to talk!" The reaction was instant. The Principal gave him a sharp look and a stern warning.

 

        "No fourth wall breaks in the halls, Professor Baldi. Don't make me drag _you_ to Detention too." Taking advantage of the opening, Baldi leaned in uncomfortably close and spoke in a low, sultry voice.

 

        "Maybe I want to. _You_ would be there, wouldn't you~?" In a matter of seconds, the Principal had turned completely red, and was now a blushing, stuttering mess.

 

        _"Wh- You- I- W-We-"_ Letting out a light chuckle, Baldi stepped out of the Principal's personal space and smiled sweetly as if nothing had happened.

 

        "Well, I have a class to get back to! Have a lovely day, Principal of the Thing!" The teacher turned and began walking back to his classroom, leaving a very flustered Principal standing alone in the middle of the hallway.

 

        As he made his way through the hall, Baldi couldn't help but laugh at the situation he had just caused. He was _very_ much aware of the Principal's crush on him, and he couldn't help but take advantage of it and tease the other man just a bit. That being so, the professor would be lying if he said he didn't have the tiniest crush on his boss in return. Along with hearing the rumors of his crush flying around the halls, Baldi had also taken note of how much more diligent the Principal got every time he had to chase after an unruly student who needed help with math problems. The other kids, such as Playtime and 1st Prize, often got off without a single warning for running or eating in the halls. It was only when Baldi was chasing after a student that the Principal kept his eyes out for any sort of rule-breaking from the troublemaker. It didn't take long for the teacher to notice just how much the Principal was doing for him, giving him many more chances to catch up than he would normally have if the student was allowed as much free reign as the other kids.

 

        Of course, having taken notice of that, Baldi began to take more notice of the way the Principal acted around him, and he had to admit that it was rather cute to see the grown man blush in his presence. It wasn't long before Baldi began to form his own crush on the faculty member, and it was only today that he had decided to act on these feelings instead of just burying them in math and numbers. Knowing what he knew and seeing the way the Principal had reacted made it all worth it. If he could be reduced to a blushing mess with just a few words, then Baldi couldn't wait to see what actual actions would do to him.

 

        That had been _way_ too much fun.

 

        He would definitely do it again sometime.


	2. Swept Off His Feet

        Some time had passed since Baldi had teased the Principal in the hallway, but still that unruly student of his refused to learn proper math. Baldi didn’t know why it was so hard for them to multiply a few simple numbers, but they obviously weren’t learning the right way, so he would just have to try and beat some more sense into them in hopes that they’ll finally get it. One couldn’t get very far in life if they didn’t memorize their times tables, you know.

 

        “Where are you...?” Baldi rapped the ruler in his hand, listening carefully for any noise that would help him locate the missing student. There was Playtime jumping rope near the entrance, 1st Prize sliding down the halls near the cafeteria, and Arts and Crafters shuffling as far away from the others as possible. Now _there_ was a model student! Why couldn’t the others be more like him? The sock puppet was so close to having all the notebooks in the school, and he always got perfect marks on all his math problems. Baldi was so proud of that kid, it was a wonder he was still in this school at all with smarts like his! That boy would go far in life, the teacher just knew it.

 

        But enough of that now. There was still a missing student on the loose, and it was imperative that they be found. Idly tapping his ruler again, Baldy listened intently to every noise that sounded off in the school building. The Principal was whistling to himself, having thought about the math teacher again (oh yes, he knew about that too), but the sound was suddenly cut off, followed by the shattering of a ceramic mug. That was probably the Principal’s coffee, but what had made him drop his drink in the first place?

 

        _“GOTTA SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP!!”_

 

        Oh.

 

        Oh no.

 

        Baldi turned to run, but his escape was interrupted when something solid hit him head-on, knocking the air out of him as the world flew by at an impossible pace. Surrendering to his fate, Baldi shut his eyes and tried to focus on not puking up his lunch. Looks like the broom had swept him up again. Great. This thing always gave him motion sickness, and now who _knows_ where it would drop him. It was better to just wait until Gotta Sweep finished sweeping instead of trying to get free beforehand.

 

        Lo and behold, the broom suddenly changed directions, going backwards instead of forwards and effectively throwing Baldi on his back. He knew the landing would be rough, but what he _didn't_ expect was the added weight that fell on top of him with a loud _oof_. The math teacher opened his eyes, only to see the Principal laying on top of him, their faces just inches apart. There was a split second where Baldi's heart leaped into his throat, caught off guard by the close proximity of his crush, but he recovered in time for the Principal to finally realize just who he was laying on top of.

 

        "....Oh...." Putting on his most charming smile, the teacher spoke seductively to the man on top of him.

 

        "Well now! I was going to wait until you took me to dinner first, but this is fine too~" If he loved the small blush the other man had before, it held no comparison to the absolutely flustered look he had now.

 

        _"W-What?!?"_  The Principal sat up to try and create some space between their faces, only to realize his mistake right after. He was now straddling the math professor, and this only made the Principal stutter and blush even more. Baldi smiled wider, and he was about to say something else when another voice spoke before him.

 

        "Am I interrupting something...?" Both faculty members turned their heads to see the runaway student standing in the middle of the hall, their face full of bewilderment at the intimate display before them. In an instant, Baldi's face twisted in anger, his voice furious and accusatory.

 

        **_"YOU!"_** With a frightened yelp, the student turned and fled as Baldi shoved the Principal off of him, scrambling after the child with his ruler gripped tightly in his hands. While the two sprinted down the hallway, the Principal watched from his spot on the ground, his face still burning from the recent encounter with the math teacher. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy it even in the slightest, but- But you didn't just _say_ those kinds of things when you weren't even dating!! Didn't Baldi know there were rules to being in a relationship?! Friends didn't flirt with each other so openly unless they were already together! And besides, did he actually mean what he said, or-?!

 

        Hoo boy, that teacher was seriously pushing his buttons, and in more ways than one. This was unacceptable. The Principal had to stop letting himself get so darn _flustered_ all the time, otherwise he wouldn't be able to function properly. Oh, but it was so hard _not_ to when Baldi kept effortlessly flirting like that, which, again,  _really_ wasn't allowed!! Not if they weren't dating, at least! That was something the Principal couldn't just overlook, either. Something had to be done about _both_ of these problems.

 

        It was a moment later that he knew what he had to do. If Baldi wasn't going to make it easy for him, then he would do the same. Oh boy.

 

\--

 

        Baldi had cornered the runaway student by the giant cell phone, already swinging his ruler with the unbridled rage he felt inside. This student was already bad at their math problems, but then they had the _gall_ to interrupt that _lovely_ moment between him and the Principal, and now he was  _furious_. Who knows when another moment like that would come?! If this little _brat_ hadn't butt in when they did-

 

        "Professor Baldi." He paused on the downswing, knuckles white with how hard he was gripping the ruler. Slowly lowering the tool, he glared menacingly over his shoulder at the one who interrupted him.

 

        **_"What."_** Despite it being the Principal standing there, Baldi let his anger bubble dangerously as a warning. The man _better_ make this good. He wasn't finished with this student yet.

 

        "I'm afraid I'll have to bring you to detention. You've broken some rules, and I can't turn a blind eye this time.” There was a moment of silence before the teacher turned to fully face the other faculty member, his eyes cold and threatening as he strode up to him. It took everything the Principal had not to flush at the close proximity again, but he had to get this done, otherwise he wouldn't be able to live with himself.

 

        "And what _exactly_ have I done wrong, Principal of the Thing?" With a nervous gulp, the man listed the two rules that had been broken.

 

        "No running in the halls...." He paused only for a moment before throwing caution to the wind and uttering his next words. "...And no flirting with friends unless you're already dating." In an instant, all the anger left Baldi's face, replaced by a blank, dumbfounded expression.

 

        "...What?" Gaining a bit more bravado now that Baldi's bad mood had been broken, the Principal grabbed the teacher's arm.

 

        "Those are the rules you've broken, and you have to serve detention for it. Now come on." He tugged lightly, a weak endeavor at bringing the teacher with him, but Baldi didn't move. Instead, he stared for a moment, blinking in disbelief at how professional the Principal was being right now. This bold attitude didn't normally happen when he spoke to him. Still a bit flabbergasted, the math teacher pulled his arm free of the gentle grip and took a step back in defiance. He wanted to see how far the Principal's newfound confidence would go.

 

        "...No." Oh yikes, okay then. A small flash of uncertainty crossed the Principal's face, but before his mind could question exactly what he was doing, he had already leaned down and swept Baldi off his feet and into his arms. He wasn't as heavy as he thought he would be.

 

        _"Y-You're coming with me whether you like it or not!"_ With that, the Principal began walking in the opposite direction, leaving the battered student to bleed in the corner as he made his way towards Detention. At the same time, Baldi's face had reddened slightly, and his lips parted with surprise. Of all the things for the Principal to do, he _definitely_ didn't expect _this_. It wasn't very often that he saw the man be so assertive, especially when trying to talk to the teacher himself, but he had to admit, seeing the Principal behave so adamantly, and towards himself of all people, was.... _very_ attractive. _Damn_.

 

        Baldi relaxed into the Principal's grip with a smile, taking note of the way the other man blushed when he leaned his head on his shoulder. This moment wouldn't last long, so he was going to take full advantage of it while he could, and it looks like he would have to serve in Detention if he wanted to do it. Oh well. If he got to see the Principal act like _this_ more often, then maybe Baldi would try to break a few more rules while hunting for that runaway student of his.

 

        It would _definitely_ be worth it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Not a word.
> 
> ...
> 
> In other news, I've decided to open up requests for this since I seem to be an absolute SUCKER for this ship now. I've tried unsuccessfully not to be sucked into this fandom, but damn it, my pal Aliya is too persuasive with her gay ships, and I'll be DAMNED if there's not some good fluff for it out there.
> 
> Go ahead and leave a request in the comments if you have one. No smut though. I won't be able to get to it immediately, but it'll be done eventually. Thank you <3


	3. A Deadful Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is VERY upset.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request by Taco grill omlete
> 
> The second option could start off with Baldi being too harsh to the point Principal doesn't like it. At first he tries to reason with Baldi but Baldi doesn't take it. So in anger and serious mode he takes Baldi to his office and pins him to the wall and snaps at him. Baldi is shocked at this new behavior he doesn't know whether to get angry or more in love with him. So he turns really red and actually agrees with the principal and starts being a little soft to the kids.(but harsh on purpose to see the other side of principal)
> 
> I may have taken some liberties with this one, but I hope you like it <3

      That was _it._

 

        _"I **HEAR** MATH THAT BAD,"_ he shouted, knowing full well that the student could hear him. Baldi charged down the hallway, gripping his ruler tighter than ever as he followed the click of a door being closed. The brat had gone too far this time. Baldi knew _damn_ well that he was not a bad teacher, so this student should have no reason to be answering all those math problems incorrectly. He would have to catch up and teach them another lesson, but _properly_ this time.

 

        Another door opened, and Baldi changed directions to follow the noise. He focused on the student's footsteps, completely ignoring everyone else in the building. Anyone he passed by immediately stepped aside when they saw the look on his face. They had never seen the teacher _this_ angry before, and even Gotta Sweep went the other way at the sight of him. Nobody dared to get in his way for fear of angering him more, but they also noticed the Principal wasn't doing any better. Looks like Baldi wasn't the only one that student was aggravating today.

 

        In their escapade to keep their teacher at bay, the student had been consistently breaking many of the school rules, which of course led to the Principal attempting to drag them into Detention. Unfortunately, the man hadn't expected them to use that horrid BSODA on him. Now his clothes were stained blue, and that student was still running around, breaking the rules with reckless abandon. The Principal sighed in frustration while Baldi turned another corner at the same time, shouting about the student's horrible math skills. That yelling was starting to give the Principal a headache. Maybe he should make a rule against raising voices in the halls.

 

        Nobody was happy today. It surely wouldn't end well, and of course, it didn't. What followed next happened so quickly, nobody could really explain it all.

 

        Gotta Sweep caught the student while sweeping, ignoring their angered yelling as it swept down the hallway at light speed. Upon seeing Balid however, the broom immediately went the opposite direction, essentially throwing the student at the teacher's feet. At the same time, the Principal rounded a corner just in time to see Baldi take the first swing. Of course, he didn't bother trying to catch the student anymore since they were already being dealt with, but when the man turned to leave, he couldn't help but pause at the sight of all the blood. He usually trusted Baldi to be as harsh as he saw fit, but from the look of things, he was going overboard this time. There were now excess blood spatters running up the walls, only adding to the growing puddle of red underneath the student's body. Great. Another mess to clean up. He  _really_ did not want to deal with this today, but his job was to make sure everything was in order, and now he'd have to do it.

 

        With another frustrated sigh, the Principal strode up next to his colleague, only to step between him and his student. Baldi fortunately had good enough reflexes to stop his downswing just in time, but he frowned angrily at the man standing in his way.

 

        "...Principal."

 

        "Professor Baldi."

 

        "Move."

 

        "No." Baldi paused only for a moment, but his glare worsened once he recovered, and his white-knuckled grip on the ruler tightened.

 

        "And why not? Can't you see I'm in the middle of _disciplining my student??_ " The Principal met the glare with his own, crossing his arms in defiance.

 

        "You're going too far this time, Baldi." The teacher in question barked out a laugh of disbelief.

 

        " _REALLY?!_  YOU'VE _NEVER_ HAD A PROBLEM WITH MY METHODS BEFORE TODAY, SO WHY ARE YOU GETTING IN MY WAY _NOW?!_ " Baldi had raised his voice, only further adding to the Principal's headache.

 

        "Because you're getting blood _all over the walls!!_ _Who do you think has to clean all that up?!_ I'll tell you right now, it's _not_ the broom!!"

 

        "Then why are you making such a big deal out of this _today?!_ What the hell's got you _so_ bent out of shape that you're _GETTING IN MY WAY?!_ "

 

        "Oh my _god-_ " The Principal put his hands to his head in frustration, only to gesture wildly to the student passed out on the floor, finally giving in and starting to yell. "THAT LITTLE _HELLION_ RIGHT THERE HAS BEEN BREAKING RULES _ALL DAY_ TODAY, BALDI!" The sudden volume of his voice caused the teacher to take a step back in surprise, his anger dissipating into astonishment. "THEY'VE BEEN RUNNING AND ENTERING SCHOOL FACULTY ROOMS AND EATING IN THE HALLS, _AND_ THEY USED THAT STUPID BSODA ON ME WHEN I FOUND THEM, SO NOW MY CLOTHES ARE ALL BLUE, AND NOW _YOU'RE_ HERE MAKING A _GIANT MESS_ THAT _I'M_ GOING TO HAVE TO CLEAN UP LATER! DO YOU _KNOW_ HOW HARD IT IS TO GET BLOOD STAINS OUT OF A WALL, PROFESSOR?!”

 

        "...I..." Baldi was completely taken aback. The Principal he knew had never raised his voice like that, not even that one time he had dragged him to detention for running and flirting with him. He was really making a stand here. If Baldi was completely honest, although he felt a little guilty now, he also thought that the Principal's fervor for all the broken rules and refusal to stand aside was...very attractive. Like,  _WOW_. It was even better than the last time. Of course, the yelling was surprising and just a tiny tad frightening, and the last part about Baldi having only made his problems worse was _really_ bad (he should apologize), but the passion that was there just-

 

        "I have a _very_ bad headache now because of _your_ yelling, Baldimore.” The Principal glared at him with a quiet rage he didn’t know could be accomplished.

 

        “Oh- I’m, uh, really sorry about-“

 

        “ _And_. Now that there’s no student to serve detention for the immense amount of rules they’ve broken, _you’re_  the only one left! Now you have to pay for all the rules you've broken!"

 

        "Wait a minute-!" Before Baldi could react, a hand circled around his arm, and the two of them were suddenly teleported to Detention, leaving the unconscious student alone on the floor. Had they not been so engrossed in their argument, the two of them likely would have noticed the other students peeking around the corner and listening in on the situation. All the students (except Arts and Crafters) glanced at each other in a mixture of surprise and worry. Did the Principal really just drag professor Baldi to Detention? Didn't they get along? Baldi had also been flirting with him, and the Principal kept blushing about it, so why were they fighting now? What was going on??

 

        A few halls down, the two adults appeared in Detention, and Baldi blinked rapidly at the disorienting feeling of teleportation. He'll never understand how the Principal could do that, but before he could dwell on the thought further, his ruler was suddenly ripped from his hands.

 

        "Wh- _Hey_!" The Principal set the tool on his faculty desk before pointing at one of the regular school desks.

 

        "Take a seat. You have ten minutes detention." Baldi's jaw dropped at the sentence. Surely he was kidding, right? There was no way the teacher could have done anything bad enough to warrant that much time in Detention!

 

        "Now wait just a minute-!" Before he could finish, the Principal stepped towards him with a livid glare, standing so unexpectedly close, Baldi had to back up to the wall. His was full of that quiet aggression from earlier as he enforced the rules of Detention.

 

"I’ve had it up to _here_ with your antics today, Professor Baldimore. You have _ten minutes._ _ **Sit down.** ”_

 

_Oh shit._

 

Baldifelt a blush break out on his face. From his tone of voice, the Principal wasn’t messing around, but damn it, he was just so _hot_ when he got angry like that. Nevertheless, the teacher edged away from the man and did what he was told, taking a seat in the nearest desk as he tried to cover up his blush. Satisfied with Baldi’s compliance, the Principal turned and pulled out the rolling chair from his desk, practically falling into it with a stressed sigh. For a while, the two sat in silence as the teacher’s sentence was served, but the silence didn’t stop Baldi from thinking about the situation.

 

        He felt bad. He felt _really_ bad. Like a complete asshole, really. Of course, he himself had had a bad day, but he’d been so busy chasing down that student that he didn’t notice just how much grief he was causing to the Principal. He didn’t know how much work it took to run a school, seeing as he was just a teacher, but judging by the other man’s reactions, it certainly wasn’t easy. That, coupled with the headache and stained clothes, would definitely be enough to throw Baldi himself into a fit. And yet, the Principal had tried to keep as quiet as possible the entire time, whereas the teacher just let his rage explode without any control. Ouch. Maybe he should learn from the Principal’s example.

 

        But not right now. No, what mattered now was helping the other faculty member feel better. Currently, the Principal was massaging one of his temples and reading some sort of paper he had pulled from a drawer. He definitely had a headache, and what that was, Baldi didn’t know, but he flicked his eyes from the Principal’s stressed face to his blue-stained clothes. Yikes. That definitely wasn’t coming out, and he doubted that the man came to school with a change of clothes. There would be no saving that shirt of his, but maybe...

 

        “...Principal?” The man in question looked up. He looked visibly annoyed, but at the sight of Baldi’s apologetic face, the annoyance in his eyes softened to fatigue. Wow, he was tired.

 

        “What is it, Baldi?”

 

        “I just...wanted to apologize for the rules I’ve broken. I can’t really understand why they’re so important to you, but I’m truly very sorry.” The two stared at each other in silence for a moment before the Principal sighed and stood up. He grabbed the ruler off his desk, stepping out from behind the furniture and making his way to Baldi’s seat.

 

        “...Let me put today in perspective for you.” With gentle precision, he placed the ruler down in front of Baldi. “Your math equals my rules.” The teacher’s eyes widened as the meaning of those words hit him. He finally understood the weight of his actions.

 

        “Oh my god, I am _so_ sorry!”

 

        “Then you understand why I can’t let you go until your ten minutes is up.” Once again, the two stared at each other for a moment. Baldi broke eye contact for a second to think over his next words before looking back up at his crush.

 

        “Well... How about we make a deal?” The Principal crosses his arms and raised a brow, his expression showing that he clearly wasn’t sold on the idea.

 

        “What do you have that I might want?”

 

        “Aspirin.” The other man looked interested now, causing Baldi to give him a tiny smile. “And a spare sweater. I keep them both in my desk. I’m willing to give them to you if you cut my time to five minutes instead of ten.” Now the man frowned, greatly unamused at the offer.

 

        “Absolutely no-“

 

        “ _And_ I’ll make an attempt to break less rules when chasing after my students.” Another tense pause. The Principal was weighing the pros and cons of the deal now less rule-breaking was involved, but the silence was starting to get to Baldi’s nerves. He didn’t want to get out of Detention early as much as he just wanted to cheer up his crush, but it was ultimately the Principal’s choice, and he would have to accept whichever choice he made. He really hoped he took the offer though. That blue stain was absolutely _ghastly_ to look at.

 

        “...You’ll try to follow the rules more?” Baldi nodded. “Even if I add a new ‘no yelling’ rule?” Another nod, followed by another bout of silence. He was really considering this, wasn’t he? One thing was for sure, if he agreed to it all, then Baldi would definitely try to watch his own behavior and be a little less harsh on the kids so as not to get blood all over the place again. Well... Within reason, of course. That quiet anger was such a contrast to his own, and he definitely wanted to see it sometime again. Just, um, maybe not aimed towards him.

 

        Okay, the quiet was getting uncomfortable now.

 

        “...Principal, I can just-“

 

        “Clean up the blood in the hall and you have yourself a deal.” Baldi’s eyes widened once again.

 

        _“Really?”_

 

       “Yes, really. I can’t stay mad at you forever.” To his surprise, the Principal actually gave him a fond smile, and he couldn’t help but meet it with one of his own.

 

        “...Thank you, Principal.”

 

        “You’re welcome, Baldi.” With a slightly bigger smile, the teacher grabbed his ruler and stood from the desk.

 

        “Okay, okay- I’ll be right back. Don’t move, alright?” He dashed into the hallway, only to remember the things he said, reminding himself of the school rules as he slowed to more of a fast walk. The Principal let out a small laugh at the scene, letting another smile spread across his face.

 

        Today may not have started off well, and while he certainly wasn’t stress free, he definitely appreciated Baldi trying to make him happy. He’d have to see if the soda would come out of his clothes, but at least he wouldn’t have to walk around feeling sticky all day. Not only that, but there was also some aspirin on the way, and he could really use some of that. Baldi would also learn how hard it was to get blood out of the walls, and that would be punishment enough for all the broken rules.

 

        Satisfied with his decision, the Principal sat back down at his desk to read over the list of rules one last time before the math teacher came back with the sweater,pulling out a pen to add the new rule to the list. He was looking forward to seeing Baldi’s smile again when he arrived, and he was also excited to wear that sweater of his too.

 

        He probably wouldn’t give it back though.

 

        And honestly, Baldi would be completely okay with that once he saw how cute the Principal looked in his favorite color.


	4. Baldi to the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bad day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Request by Ender_Rune
> 
> ummmmm if requests are open could you do a really tired/ sleep deprived principal and Baldi looking after him and really fluffy please. 
> 
>  
> 
> Okay, I kind of went a little overboard with this one, but I hope the fluff/angst makes up for it, so here you are! Sorry for the long wait, the page length should be worth it because this thing is a whopping seventeen pages, and enjoy~!

        It was official. Today was going to be horrible.

 

        With a huge yawn, the Principal of the Thing trudged through the halls towards his office, which also happened to be Detention. His eyelids drooped heavily, and the bags under his eyes made it clear that he was currently _very_ sleep deprived. He had forgotten that Parent-Teacher Night was coming up soon and had spent all last night getting the schedule and other details set up, even deciding to email the parents of all the students currently attending school. His coffee supply had diminished greatly due to the work he had done, but even that wasn't enough to stave off the tired feeling he got come morning. Now he would have to suffer the school day being while being dead on his feet the entire time. An entire thirty-six hours without sleep. Hooray.

 

        "Good morning, Principal!" Baldi greeted the man enthusiastically as he passed by his classroom door, only to receive a haphazard wave and an incoherent mumble in return. He immediately frowned, feeling a little downtrodden at the greeting, but more worried about the Principal himself. Was something wrong? Upon closer inspection, he looked pretty tired actually. Did he have his coffee this morning? Perhaps not, judging by the way he was slowly shuffling around the corner instead of walking upright like he normally did. If that was all, then the math teacher was going to fix him a fresh cup of coffee to wake him up. Easy-peasy!

 

        With his smile fully returned now that he had a plan, Baldi propped open the door to his classroom and set off in the opposite direction towards the break room. He passed by Arts and Crafters in the process, and even saw Bully soliciting in the halls before class, but there was no sign of that wayward student who often miscalculated their math problems. Oh well. He knew they would all be there once the bell rang, so he brushed those thoughts aside in favor of stepping into the break room marked as Staff Only. There on the table was the coffee maker, and as always, there was a fresh pot of coffee already done. Baldi had a sneaking suspicion that it was Gotta Sweep who _somehow_ brewed the pot every day, but he paid it no mind as he grabbed an extra mug and poured it full of coffee. Afterwards, he made sure to add two creams and three sugars, replacing the bitter flavor to make it sweet, just the way the Principal liked it. With the mug in hand, Baldi quickly stepped out of the break room and rushed down the hallway to the Principal's office, eager to get the coffee to him before it got cold. Once he got to Detention, he knocked on the door before cracking it open with a smile.

 

        "Hey, Principal! I've got a surprise for you!" The man in question was currently slumped over the desk with his head in his hands, but he jumped in his seat slightly at the sound of his name. He looked surprised, but gave a tired smile once he saw who it was.

 

        "Oh, uh... Thank you, Professor. I really appreciate it." Baldi's smile faltered, but he kept quiet as he placed the drink on the desk. The instant the mug touched the surface, the Principal immediately grabbed it and took a swig. As he did, the math teacher took notice of the bedraggled look his colleague held. Messy hair, wrinkled clothes, sleep deprived expression; Yikes, he look downright _awful_.

 

        "...Are you alright? You don't look so good today." The Principal waved away the question as if it was nothing.

 

        "Yes, yes, I'm fine, I promise. Just a little tired, is all..." He took another long sip of the coffee, sighing contentedly afterwards. "This is really good. Thank you."

 

        "Uh... You're welcome." Baldi blinked, getting mixed signals from this whole scene. The Principal clearly wasn't doing too well, but he was just brushing it aside like it didn't matter. The math teacher wanted to do more to help him, yet the other man clearly didn't want it, so he didn't want to be too overbearing. Not only that, but class started in just a few minutes, and Baldi certainly couldn't skip. Ugh, this wasn't fair at all. Looks like he would have to leave things be for now. "Well, um, I guess I'll see you at lunch then." He turned and headed for the door, stopping in the doorway to look back one last time, only to see the Principal downing the entire mug. Good lord. "...Don't work yourself _too_ hard, okay?" A thumbs up. Okay, that was probably it then. It was time for class now.

 

* * *

 

        "Alright everyone, hand in your multiplication homework. We're going to start on fractions and decimals today." Baldi went around the classroom, picking up each worksheet and replacing then with new ones as he passed by each desk. Once all the homework was collected, the teacher went back to his desk and sat down to grade them. "Do what you can on the new worksheet and we'll go over them afterwards to see what you need help on. Go ahead and get started." The students picked up their pencils and began working, unhappy sighs ringing out inside the classroom. Baldi simply ignored them in favor of grabbing his red pen and started grading each worksheet one by one, doing the simple math in his head for each problem.

 

        2 x 3 = 4. Correct.

        5 x 3 = 16. Wrong.

        7 x 8 = 49. Wrong. Oh boy, here we go.

 

        Baldi sighed, bringing his free hand up to massage one of his temples as he tried to control his annoyance. It wasn’t good to explode during the first five minutes of class, but he specifically remembered going over this subject many times, and still his students didn’t understand. Whose paper _was_ this anyhow??

 

        ______.

 

        ...Of course. God, this student was going to give him an ulcer. No matter. He would just have to push through the mistakes and try not to lose it. Hopefully the Principal was having a better time than he was...

 

        Time passed, and as the students worked through their math problems, Baldi continued grading papers to the best of his ability. However, he found his thoughts clouded by distractions, and it was getting progressively harder to focus. His students didn't seem to grasp the basic principles of math at all, and the tired image of the Principal kept coming back to haunt him. He felt betrayed and lied to; Betrayed by his students who still did poorly on their math problems, and lied to by his colleague who was c _learly_  not as fine as he said he was. Nothing was right about _any_ of this today. Not his students, not the Principal, not this math, _nothing_. It was all wrong, _wrong, WRONG-_

 

        **_SNAP!_**

 

        "..Uh... P-Professor Baldi...?" The nervous voice of a student broke him from his thoughts, and the math teacher looked up from his desk to find the entire class staring at him in fear, practically cowering underneath their desks. He had no idea what was wrong until he finally realized just how tightly he was holding his pen, and once he relaxed his grip, Baldi was surprised to find he had snapped it in two with just one hand. That...wasn't good. He was starting to crack under the thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, clearly frightening the students and keeping them from their work. Ugh, but even so, there was still that little itch in the back of his mind that said something wasn't right, and it looked like it wouldn't go away until the problem was dealt with. He needed to get out of this classroom before he went completely crazy.

 

        "...I need to check on something." Baldi stood from his chair, abandoning the homework assignments on the desk. "Stay in your seats until I get back. No skipping. Got it?" He glared out at the crowd of children, seeing nothing but fearful nods of compliance. Satisfied that he wouldn't find any missing students when he returned, the math teacher marched out of his classroom and down the hall towards the Principal's office. He intended to talk some sense into that man, to tell him that he needed to take it easy today if he wasn't feeling well. He didn't want to risk getting sick, did he? Of course not! He couldn't enforce those rules he loved so much if he caught a cold! _Nobody_ would be happy then. One really had to take care of themselves, otherwise something bad might-

 

        "Oh my god!!" Baldi shouted in shock upon seeing the Principal splayed out on the floor of his office. He rushed over to him immediately and turned him over on his back, pressing an ear to the man's chest to see if there was still a heartbeat. A couple seconds later, he let out a sigh of relief. The Principal was just sleeping. "Principal...?" He began to gently shake his colleague in an attempt to wake him up. After a couple moments, the Principal began to stir, making little whiny noises as he struggled to open his eyes. "Okay, I know you're tired, but you  _really_ shouldn't sleep on the floor. You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

 

        "..Ugh... Baldi...? Is that you...?" Oh. An adorable (and slightly worried) smile. What a nice sight to wake up to. Honestly, passing out from lack of sleep in his own office was not on the lists of things the Principal meant to do that morning. It was certainly embarrassing to know that he could barely even walk today, let alone stay awake for ten minutes, but at least he opened his eyes to see his favorite person with him. Though...this situation didn't exactly make things look good from someone else's point of view. Oh dear. "I-I'm fine, I'm fine, promise- Oof." The math teacher helped him sit up, keeping a gentle hand on his back so he wouldn't fall again. "I'm just... I'm _really_ tired..." Baldi squinted suspiciously at his colleague.

 

        "...How much sleep did you get last night?"

 

        "None."

 

        "And did you take any naps yesterday?" A sigh.

 

        "No..." That wasn't good. The Principal was running on empty to the point where even coffee didn't help, and he would surely hurt himself if left unsupervised. Baldi didn't trust Gotta Sweep to look after his crush either, so the obvious thing to do was to take care of the Principal himself. However, he was in the middle of a class right now. He couldn't just leave his students unattended either! Unless...

 

        A plan began forming in Baldi's mind. If he could somehow make sure his students didn't leave the room until lunch, then he would be able to bring his work back with him so he could watch the principal and grade papers at the same time. There was no way the students would keep themselves in check, so he needed someone to do it _for_ him. Someone else who also knew how every student functioned and what would keep them in place. Someone like- _Yes, that's it._

 

        "I'll be right back. There's something I need to take care of." With gentle hands, Baldi helped his crush back into his desk chair, making sure he wouldn't fall over again before stepping towards the door. "Don't move, okay? I don't want you hurting yourself while I'm gone." All he received was a haphazard wave and a sleepy 'mmn' in response. Aww, how cute.

 

        Okay, focus!!

 

        With renewed determination, the professor stepped back into the hallway and bolted towards his classroom. Yes, he wasn't supposed to run in the halls, but hopefully the Principal would make an exception for this. Once the room was in sight, Baldi skidded to a stop and practically slammed the door open, getting the attention of the entire class of kids. All eyes were on him as he scanned the room, making sure no one was missing (they weren't), until he finally stopped at that difficult student he was always chasing.

 

        "______. Outside. _Now_." In true child fashion, all the kids let out little 'ooh's at the command, thinking the student was in trouble, and honestly, as they stood from their desk and begrudgingly walked to the door, they thought so too. The student dragged their feet, trying to stave off the possible beating for as long as possible, but Baldi grabbed their arm and pulled them out of the room immediately, shutting the the door for a bit of privacy.

 

        "Look, if this is about my homework, I swear I-"

 

        "You need to watch the class for me." There was a quiet moment where the student tried to comprehend what they just heard, but was just so far fetched that they found the entire situation too surreal to be true.

 

        "...I need to _what?_ "

 

        "Watch the class for me. There's something important I need to take care of that simply can't wait, so I need _you_ to keep the other students in line while I'm gone. Do what you need to keep things in order. Tell stories, play games; heck, _bribe_ them if you have to!" Baldi placed his hands on the students' shoulders in earnest. "Just make sure they _don't leave the room_." The student gazed at their teacher in a mixture of confusion and suspicion. This was like something out of a fever dream, so that's what this had to be, right? Baldi _never_ asked _them_ for help. He was an adult, so why would he come to them in the first place? Didn't he have adult friends who could do this instead? And surely he remembered all the beatings he'd given them ever since they arrived, right? _They_ certainly did. There was absolutely no reason for them to agree to this, and yet here he was, asking for help like they were all buddy-buddy with each other.

 

        What a crock of _bullshit_.

 

        The student crossed their arms, shooting their nastiest glare at their teacher. "And _why_ would I ever help _you?_ "

 

        "I'll owe you." In a split second, the students' eyebrows flew upwards in shock. "I'll do anything you want,  _within reason_ , no questions asked. _But_ -" Baldi held up a finger as a warning. "You only get one favor. _One_. After that, no amount of begging or pleading will work. You'll get _nothing_ out of me. Choose your favor wisely, and I'll do it. Now," he fixed his student with a stern gaze. "Do we have a deal?"

 

        Okay, _that_ was tempting. A favor from Baldi? That was insane. The student could ask him to do _anything_ , like stop chasing them when they got their math problems wrong! Oh, but he probably wouldn't be able to keep that up forever. Damn it. Maybe they could use it on something else then. It could be anything. Whatever they wanted...

 

        "Alright," they agreed." Deal." With a nod of approval, Baldi stood and put a hand on the doorknob. "Professor?" He looked down at the student, a bit caught off guard by the sudden question. "What's so important that you had to ask _me_ for help?" Instead of providing an answer, he paused for a moment before silently scowling at them and opening the door.

 

        "Alright class!" Baldi strode into the room and went right up to his desk, ignoring the curious gazes on his back and choosing to rifle through his belongings instead. "Things will be a little different today. There's something I need to take care of, so this period is now a study hall. Get whatever you can done and we'll resume our normal schedule next time." The children all cheered, overjoyed about the new schedule. Study hall meant no stupid math and no scary teacher looming over them for a while! They could do just about anything they wanted to, like write on the chalkboard and make paper airplanes and-

 

        The students' little celebration was interrupted by the teacher slamming his ruler down on his desk with a loud **_THWACK._** "...But if I see _any_ of you outside this room, hospital bills will be the _least_ of your worries." He stared out at them all with a threatening glare, not seeing any signs of protest from the children. Satisfied that everyone had gotten the message, Baldi gathered up the papers on the desk, slung his bag over his shoulder, and began walking to the door. "I expect you all to behave yourselves. See you at lunch." With that, he closed the door behind him and began to rush back to Detention. It didn't take more than a couple seconds for him to return, but the professor slowed his steps before opening the door. Still settled in his desk was the Principal, who was hunched over a bit as he wiped his cheek with a rag he had somehow gotten hold of.

 

        "Oh, thank goodness," Baldi sighed. "You're okay." He cast an odd glance at his colleague when he saw the rag stained with some strange black substance, but the sight was quickly brushed aside in favor of the sleepy smile he received from the man immediately afterwards.

 

        "I told you, I'm fine..." The professor gave him a look that clearly said he wasn't buying any of it as he strode over to the desk and set the papers down on top of it. "Are those...homework assignments?"

 

        "Never mind that. First, I need to make you comfortable so you can sleep." The Principal frowned, letting out an annoyed noise before opening the top drawer of his desk and tossing the rag inside.

 

        "Okay..." Now, when Baldi had run off a couple moments ago to do something, the Principal had kind of expected him to come back and start taking care of him, which he was apparently going to do. What he did _not_ expect was for the teacher to start removing his sweater, so when he began lifting the hem of it, the Principal blushed madly as he quickly covered his eyes. _"P-Professor Baldimore, have some **decency** , please!!"_

 

        "I have a shirt underneath, idiot." It took a couple seconds for him to finally peek out from between his fingers, but the Principal saw that, yes, Baldi did indeed have a white button-up shirt under his sweater. It was a bit wrinkled, but that minor detail didn't compare to the pleased smile the math teacher was giving him right this moment. "Oh my god, I wish I had a camera."

 

        "Shut up... S-Stupid..." The Principal sat there, now blushing out of embarrassment as his crush set the green sweater in his lap, and with a pouty little huff, he slipped it on over his own shirt. He wasn't going to lie, this sweater was still just as comfortable as last time, and he may or may not have noticed how Baldi's smile grew just a bit bigger at the sight of him in it. "...Okay, there. Happy now?"

 

        "I don't know. Are _you?_ " Damn it, that smooth talker-

 

        "...Maybe..." Before Baldi could comment on the adorableness that was his crush, the moment was cut short when the Principal let out a long yawn. Taking that as the cue to move on, Baldi moved the math assignments aside and placed a hand on the Principal's shoulder.

 

        "You should get some rest." As expected, a sleepy face laden with worry looked up at him.

 

        "But- But what about the school-?"

 

        _"Shhh sh sh sh."_ The math teacher leaned down and enveloped him in a hug. "You're dead on your feet. The school's not going anywhere. Take a nap." Normally, the Principal would be red as a beet again by now, but this sweater was just really cozy, and the hug was only making him sleepier. The whole situation actually drew another yawn out of him, and with that, it didn't really take much more convincing for him to just go with it. After all, he really was tired today, and Baldi was one of the most responsible people he knew. He could certainly trust him right now.

 

        "...Okay, fine..." The professor leaned back and poked his nose.

 

        "Good boy." In response, he shot the man a pointed look. Not that he didn't at least kind of like that, comment, but come on. Really?

 

        "Shut up." Baldi chuckled in response before standing up and grabbing the math assignments off the desk.

 

        "Alright, come on. Class is taken care of, and I don't have to watch the kids after lunch, so you have about an hour to just relax. Go ahead and rest, okay?" And with that, Baldi sat down at one of the smaller desks and rolled up his sleeves, mentally preparing himself to tackle the homework sheets again. He opened his bag and brought out a new pen to grade with, and the Principal couldn't help the fond look on his face as he watched his colleague go about his business.

 

        This was like something out of a dream. Never in his life did he think that Baldi would ever just drop everything for him like this, and yet here he was, giving up his sweater and taking care of him for the day. Wow... What did he ever do to deserve _this?_ Yes, it was nice to have Baldi flirt with him, even if it did result in excessive blushing and embarrassment on his end, but this was something he could never have seen coming. Flirting was one thing, but actually _caring_ for him like this? It was just...wow. He felt amazing just knowing Baldi cared enough to bring him a cup of coffee, let alone make sure he got enough sleep.

 

        The Principal let out a contented sigh as he laid his head down on the desk. This was nice. A cozy sweater, some time to sleep, and his favorite person watching over him like a guardian angel.

 

        What more could he ever ask for?

 

* * *

 

        Time passed once more, and Baldi took a moment to stretch his arms after writing for so long. Once he had finished the grading all the homework assignments and writing some helpful notes on them for the students, he had slipped his advanced math book out of his bag and had begun to solve the problems inside on a spare piece of paper. Every so often, Baldi looked up to see if the Principal was fine, and seeing the sleeping man all cozied up in his sweater made his heart melt just a little each time. It was actually what kept him going until he finally looked at the clock to see that it was already ten minutes into lunch. With another glance at the Principal (he looked so cute), Baldi smiled and stood from the desk, exiting the room quietly to grab a little snack from the cafeteria. He always brought his own lunch with him, but with how tired the Principal had been this morning, he doubted the man remembered to bring anything to eat. Even something small should do until it was time to go home, so the math teacher hurried down the hall to the lunch room, quietly slipping through the double doors and over to the counter. Thankfully, it seemed the children were too busy talking and playing with their food (they'd have to be punished for that later) to notice him, so he was able to quickly grab a sandwich before slipping back out into the hall.

 

        Baldi strolled down the hallway with a light smile on his face, humming a tune he'd heard a while back. Today was a good day. Yes, it started off stressful, but after making sure the Principal was safe and sound, he felt much better about pretty much everything. Even grading the homework assignments wasn't as aggravating as they usually were. Maybe the Principal was a calming presence to him? It seemed like it. Not that that was a bad thing, no. Actually, it was probably better that way since he seemed to be able to think more clearly around him. Wow. When did he start liking his boss so much? Oh well, he wasn't complaining. As far as he knew, this wasn't going to backfire anytime soon, so why not keep running with it and see where things go? Maybe there'd be a happy ending? That would be...

 

        Okay, okay, enough of that. It was time for lunch.

 

        With a smile still on his face, Baldi opened the door to Detention and stepped inside, quietly walking up to where the Principal was still sleeping. After taking a couple more seconds to watch him sleep some more (wow he was cute), the teacher began to gently shake him for the second time that day.

 

        "Wake up, sleeping beauty. You need to eat something." The Principal grumbled sleepily as he stirred once more, struggling to lift his head up off the desk and getting a small chuckle out of the math teacher. "Come on, it's only for a little bit, okay? After this you can-" Baldi suddenly shrieked and nearly dropped the sandwich in his hands. _"What happened?!"_ The other man blinked at him in sleepy confusion, completely unaware of the black trails of goo flowing out of his eyes. Good lord, how did he not _feel_ that?!

 

        "What are you talking about...?" Baldi set the sandwich on the desk and wiped some of the goo from the other's face, not caring that it came off on his hand.

 

        "Your _face!_ Does it hurt?! Are your eyes _melting_ or something?!" The second he spotted the black liquid on Baldi's hand, the Principal practically jumped out of his seat as his heart seized in his chest. If he wasn't awake before, he definitely was now.

 

        "N-No, I- It's-!" The Principal lunged for the top desk drawer and ripped it open, snatching the rag from before out of it and immediately starting to wipe away the stuff on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's okay, I promise! I just need to- Just really quick-" Baldi watched him vigorously scrub the liquid from his face, shock and surprise now dissolving into curiosity and concern. Clearly this was something that had happened before, but he had never been told about it. If anything, the fact that the Principal seemed to have a rag on hand just for this black stuff told Baldi that he was trying to hide...whatever this was. It gave him the impression that the other faculty member was embarrassed about it. "Okay, done! All clean!" The Principal removed the rag, and sure enough, there was no more black goo running down his cheeks. He somehow looked even more tired now, but other than that, it was still the same cute face Baldi saw every week. However, something didn't feel right about it now that he had seen what the man was trying to hide. He couldn't just let this slide.

 

        "...Principal, what _was_ that?" Instead of receiving a straight answer, all he got was an awkward smile.

 

        "Oh, n-nothing! It was nothing really, I-"

 

        "Don't lie to me." Baldi was now giving him a stern look that nearly made the Principal take a step back. Oh shoot, was he getting _angry_ about it? This was not good, this was _not_ good.

 

        "It's, uh..." A thousand excuses ran through his head as he fidgeted with the rag in his hands, but the longer Baldi stared, the more the Principal realized it was already too late. The secret was out, and there was no more hiding it now. Time to spill the beans. "...Those are just my eyes..." The Principal hung his head as if he was being scolded. He didn't want to see Baldi's look of horror as he explained what had happened. "Ever since I was little, this black stuff has been leaking from them. It scares people, makes them not want to be around me. The other kids wouldn't play with me because they were too afraid, and my parents always had this disgusted look on their faces, so I learned how to hide it. To make it stop...dripping. After that, everyone stopped running away. My parents even seemed to like me more for it..." He took a moment to try and swallow the lump in his throat before continuing on, despite his grip on the rag tightening in fear. "It takes a _lot_ of mental focus to do it, but I can't keep it up. Not all the time. It starts running when I'm super exhausted or asleep, like today, and I'm sorry I scared you, but I _really_ tried to stop it, I _did-_ " His words faltered, and his hands began to shake as he felt black tears starting to well up in his eyes. "I-I'm _so_ sorry I frightened you... I promise, it won't happen agai-"

 

        "Shut up." He stopped talking and flinched as if he had been struck. Oh god, here it comes. "So _that's_ what you really look like?" The Principal hesitated, then looked up and nodded, his heart breaking at the professor's annoyed face. "That's _stupid._ " And there it was. He couldn't help the tears that started falling now that Baldi thought he was a waste of time, just like everyone else. It _was_ stupid, really. Why did he ever think the math teacher would ever like someone like him?

 

        "I..." The Principal squeezed his eyes shut to try and stop the tears, lifting the rag up to wipe them away again. He'd seen everything he needed to, or so he thought. What he _didn't_ see was the look of concern that replaced Baldi's annoyed expression. "I-I'm sorry-"

 

        " _No_ , _no no no no no no!"_ Without warning, Baldi stepped forward and hugged him tightly, quietly shushing him and running a gentle hand through his hair. Shit, he didn't mean to make the guy _cry_. "Stop crying, stop, it's okay! I don't hate you, I could _never_ hate you!" The Principal began to process what he was saying and slowly lifted his head, still crying and sniffling like a child. Oh no, please stop, don't cry please-

 

        "...R-Really..?"

 

        "Really." Baldi cupped his hands around the Principal's face, giving him his most sincere smile. "What on earth would make you think I'd hate you over something as small as that? It's _stupid_. I don't care if your eyes get all drippy or not; it's still _you_ under all that black stuff." Removing his hands, the math teacher went in for another hug, trying to send all his love through it just to make the Principal feel better. "I'm not leaving. You can't get rid of me _that_ easily, you know."

 

        "..." It all took a couple seconds for him to process, but eventually, the Principal realized what was happening. Baldi had seen something he didn't like about himself and he wasn't running away. He wasn't afraid or disgusted like all the others. He was staying right here. _"O-Oh my god-"_ The Principal buried his face in Baldi's shoulder and somehow began crying even harder. He was just so _relieved_ and so _happy._ No one had ever reacted so positively to his eyes, and now here was his crush, holding him and telling him it was stupid to think that would've scared him away, and okay, maybe it _was_ a little stupid, but- But just- Oh lord, he was so relieved. Baldi didn't hate him, he was _still here_ , it was _alright_ , everything would be _okay_.

 

        "Hey, hey, don't cry." The math teacher hugged him a bit tighter and started rubbing gentle circles into his back as he cried, trying his best to comfort him. "I don't know what the hell those other people were thinking when they ran off, but one little detail isn't going to scare me away." A muffled hiccup came from his shoulder.

 

        _"Nuh- No s-swearing... In the- In the halls..."_ Baldi couldn't help the giggles that tumbled out of his mouth after that.

 

        "Hah-! _That's_ the Principal I know! Now come on, stop crying." He finally pulled back from the hug and placed a hand under the other's chin, lifting his head to see his face. "I don't like seeing you cry. Where's that smile I love so much?" The Principal sniffled and laughed, blushing at his words. There was black goo running down his cheeks again, but his wobbly smile shined through it, making Baldi smile as well. " _There_ it is! Look at you!" Without warning, the professor leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his coworker's forehead. "Such a cutie."

 

        _"Nooo, stop-"_ The Principal was blushing even more now, letting out nervous giggles as he tried to recover from the breakdown he nearly had a few moments ago. It was only after he took a step back so Baldi couldn't embarrass him more that he caught sight of the large black stain he'd left on the teacher's shoulder. "...Uh... Don't be angry."

 

        "Hm?" Baldi paused and looked to where the Principal was staring, only to see what he was looking at. It seemed like the black goo had stained his white button up when the Principal was crying into his shoulder. "...Ah..." The two of them looked back at each other for a second before speaking again.

 

        "I am _so_ sorry."

 

        "You stained my shirt."

 

        "I can pay for that." An idea began brewing in Baldi's mind.

 

        "...Promise?"

 

        " _Yes!_ Yes, I promise!" With a teasing smile, the math teacher picked up the sandwich off of the desk and held it out to his colleague.

 

        "Then you can pay by eating this sandwich." The Principal stared blankly for a moment before the words finally processed, and he ended up giving the teacher a deadpan look.

 

        "Really?"

 

        "Yes, really." He pouted and swiped the sandwich from Baldi's hands. He honestly thought he would be able to repay him for the stain on his shirt, but no. Baldi was just messing with him again.

 

        "You jerk." A laugh.

 

        "Yeah, yeah, I'm a jerk. Now shut up and eat your sandwich." Although the words themselves were teasing, the Principal could feel the comfort they were meant to give. It was a silly and lighthearted situation to combat the seriousness of today's events, and honestly, this might have been just what he needed. Baldi, finding him sleep deprived and deciding to take care of him, and then discovering his eye secret and still accepting him for it, despite the large black spot that had soaked into his shoulder. Even after all that, the teacher would probably make him lay his head down for another nap after this and continue to watch over him. Yeah... This was just what he needed today.

 

        With a tender smile at Baldi, the Principal finally lifted the sandwich and took a bite.

 

        ...Wow. This was really delicious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the wait again, everyone! Things have been...interesting over here, and I'm struggling a little to keep up with college classes, so please bear with me as we continue this story together! I may not update as quickly as you'd like, but I can promise that I will let you know once I finish this collection, so have no fear. We're not done here.
> 
> I still have a couple of requests to do, but if you have any, please feel free to comment below and I'll put it in line with the others. Thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you continue to love this ship because I sure as hell do. It makes me sad that there isn't enough fluff for it, so let's forge on together and make some more chapters! YAH!
> 
> Heehee~
> 
> Thank you again, and as always, please be patient for the next chapter. Have a nice day! <3


	5. Possessive (pt.1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parent-Teacher Night.
> 
> (And it’s pronounced may-tee-ay)

        Today was the day. Gotta Sweep practically _flew_ through the halls, sweeping up every speck of dust and piece of trash lying around while both Baldi and the Principal were in the teacher's lounge, mentally preparing themselves for the evening. The entire school staff, which was admittedly not very excited about this, was in the middle of prepping for Parent-Teacher Night. It wouldn't be a very long event, but the school had to be clean and it's staff organized in order to make a good impression on the new (and returning) parents, which meant that the Principal was fussing over his appearance now that he had decided to let his eyes relax for once. The strange substance that leaked from them had a bad habit of getting everywhere, and he wanted to make sure that none of it was on anything but his face.

 

        "Does my shirt look okay? It's not wrinkled, is it? And there's no black stuff on it, right?" He smoothed down his shirt and searched here and there for any little spots he might’ve missed.

 

        "You look _fine_ , Principal." Baldi placed a comforting hand on his boss' shoulder. "Everything will be fine, I promise. It's not like you haven't done this before." The Principal tried to calm down, but he was clearly still nervous, even with the comforting touch Baldi was giving him. He almost started wringing out the hem of his shirt before remembering that would mess it up and just deciding to fidget with his hands instead.

 

        "Yes, but- But there will be _new_ parents this time! And you've only been here for a year, so nobody has met you, and I don't want anyone to be upset by my eyes and-" He cut himself off with a whine, not wanting to say the other problem on his mind. The Principal didn't want anyone else to judge him for having a crush on one of his own employees. It would be a _nightmare_ if the parents started talking about it, whispering behind his back, and possibly even dragging their children out of school for it.

 

        "Look," Baldi started, placing both hands on the other's shoulders this time. "There's no reason to panic. You've done this before, so you already know _exactly_ what to do. Besides, you care about these kids, right?" A hesitant nod in response. "Then you've got this in the bag. Just show these parents how much you care, and they'll continue to be happy that their kids are enrolled here. Don't worry about me, don't worry about the _new_ parents, and if anyone gives you shit about your eyes, I'll be _right here_ to defend you. You've got this. Okay?" The Principal blinked wondrously at Baldi, unable to help the starstruck look on his face and even forgetting to reprimand him for the profanity. Every time he thought Baldi couldn't get any lovelier, he goes and does something like _this_. First his eyes, now this pep talk; what was he gonna do next? _Wow..._ "Principal?" Hearing his name called broke him from his enamored thoughts, and he immediately wrapped his arms around the teacher, making sure not to get any black stuff on his sweater this time.

 

        "Thank you..." Baldi was a little stunned from the sudden hug, but soon relaxed and returned the warm gesture with a smile.

 

        "Any time." The two of them stood there like that, holding each other for a few moments and enjoying the comfort of it all before the Principal caught sight of the clock on the wall.

 

        "Oh my god-" He quickly let go and rushed out the door, calling to the teacher as he tried not to break the 'no running' rule. _"It's almost seven, Baldi! Come on, we have to go!"_ Baldi smiled and laughed at just how nervous his crush was acting before smoothing off his sweater, following his boss at a leisurely pace afterwards.

 

        Since he was hired a little after the last Parent-Teacher Night, Baldi never got the chance to meet the guardians of his students. Because of that, he had to stand by the Principal's side and smile as they were all introduced to him. Since they were already familiar with the other (so-called) teachers, the rest of the staff got to stay in their respective classrooms while Baldi had to meet the strangers out in the open. Not that he was complaining though. If anything, being with his crush the entire day would make this event even _more_ enjoyable. _Any_ evening with the Principal was a good one. _Nothing_ could ruin this.

 

        "Baldi, _hurry!_ They'll show up any minute now!"

 

        "Okay, okay, I'm coming." With the relaxed smile still on his face, the math teacher strode into the lobby and stopped next to the Principal. His boss smiled nervously and opened his mouth to say something, only to be cut off when the front doors opened.

 

        "O-Oh! Hello, everyone! Welcome back!" Baldi turned his gaze to the entrance right as the students funneled inside, the parents following close behind their respective children. He continued to smile and was preparing for introductions when a small figure caught his eye. Though they were moving very fast, Baldi recognized the figure as the trouble-making student, ______. They were pushing past the other kids with reckless abandon, breaking through the small crowd and running deeper into the school without so much as a hello. The math teacher turned and frowned as they ran past, fully prepared to go scold them for their actions, when the first parent approached.

 

        "Ey, Principal! Nice ta see ya again, pal!" Baldi turned and looked forward again to see a generic-looking man standing in front of him. He looked rather plain, save for being fairly fat, and the only remarkable thing about him was the undeniable resemblance to his son, It's A Bully. The boy was standing next to his father with an annoyed expression on his face. Looks like he wasn't too happy to be back at school so soon.

 

        "Nice to see you too, PlaceFace!" The Principal smiled, quickly shaking hands with the man. "How have you been?" The stranger continued to smile jovially.

 

        "I've been good! Been busy raisin' this little rascal right here." He reached down and ruffled his son's hair, only to have his hand slapped away as Bully blew a raspberry at his father. Seeing this happen, Baldi frowned in disapproval.

 

        "Now Bully, what did I say about hitting people?" The boy pouted angrily  and crossed his arms, begrudgingly grumbling out the answer.

 

        "Not to do it..."

 

        "Very good!" With a pleased smile, Baldi fished a quarter from his pocket and held it out to his student. "Here you go. A reward for remembering." It's A Bully hesitated, eyeing his teacher cautiously before snatching the coin from his hand and making a break for it down the hall.

 

        "Woah-ho, and who's _this_ guy here? You've almost got as good a grip on my kid as I do!" Principal smiled, overjoyed at the great first impression Baldi had made just now. But of course, what else could he expect from the math teacher? Such a clever man, wow.

 

        "This is Professor Baldimore, our current math teacher. I hired him shortly after the last Parent-Teacher Night, so he's already gotten fairly comfortable with all the students here." 

 

        "Ah, that's why Bully's so good at math now!" PlaceFace reached out and joyously shook the teacher's hand. "The name's PlaceFace. Nice ta meet'cha, mister Baldimore!" The teacher laughed at the sudden use of his full name, not used to hearing it come from a complete stranger.

 

        "Oh please, no need to be so formal! You can just call me Baldi. I don't mind." Immediately after, PlaceFace let go of his hand and flashed a bright grin.

 

        "Sure thing, pal! Now hey, I gotta go and chase down that boy of mine b'fore I lose track of him. It was great ta see ya Principal, and keep up the good work, mister Baldi!" With that, PlaceFace ran off in the direction his son had gone, leaving the Principal and Baldi alone together once more.

 

        "...You didn't even get to discuss his son's grades with him."

 

        "Well, to be fair, Bully's work has been surprisingly comprehensive, so there's really nothing to worry about."

 

        "Oh, right."

 

        "Principal, hey!" Another voice cut through the conversation, and instead of just one parent, a happy couple approached this time. It wasn't hard to pinpoint whose parents they were, considering Playtime looked just like the two of them. From a single glance, one could tell the young girl had inherited her father's scraggly, dark hair and his love of red shirts, whereas her mother had passed down those strange dark eyes of hers instead. Major differences between the couple were very obvious though. The father looked far more relaxed than the mother in his red t-shirt and jeans, his brown eyes smiling along with him, while his wife looked fairly uptight with her hair in a dark bun and a black pencil skirt to go with her blue blazer and heels. And of course, standing in between them, still smiling and holding her trademark jump rope in hand, was their daughter. How sweet.

 

        "Oh, Recess! Wonderful to see you again!" Instead of shaking hands, the two simply nodded in greeting at each other. "And Métier, you're looking lovely as usual." The woman smiled and blinked in regard.

 

        "Thank you, Principal. We've come to see how well our daughter is keeping up with her classes."

 

        “Of course, of course. I actually have our math professor here with me today, seeing as he wasn’t able to meet anyone last year!” He gestured towards his colleague who gave the parents a welcoming smile. “Recess, Métier, I’d like you to meet Professor Baldimore.”

 

        “A pleasure to meet you both,” Baldi started, extending a hand for them to shake. Recess was the first to take it, followed by his wife, who had a  _much_  firmer grip than her husband did.

 

        “Wonderful! Nice to meet you too, pal! You think you can tell us how out baby’s been doing?” The father grinned down at Playtime, who giggled lightly at the nickname. How sweet. 

 

        “Yes, well...” Shoot, he would have to start with the bad news. “She’s certainly not the best at math. I noticed right away that Playtime has a lot of trouble staying focused on the subject at hand, and I’ve had to take away her jump rope more than once. Keeping her focused is the main problem here, whether it be during math or even sitting down for lunch.” Métier frowned at her husband, clearly unhappy with the news Baldi had given her.

 

        “See? I  _told_ you, we shouldn’t be letting her go to school with that toy. It’s a  _distraction._ ” Oh boy, she was using the disappointed mom voice.

 

        “However,” Baldi interrupted before anything else could be said. All eyes were instantly on him again. “Turning the subject into a game instead of teaching it normally seems to be helping immensely. Games keep Playtime’s focus more than anything, and with that in mind, we’ve been able to raise her grade from a low C to a high B.” Playtime let out her signature laugh at that moment, clearly proud of herself and he new grade. “If you’re still unhappy with that, I recommend some tutoring with a person who will take these circumstances into account, but otherwise, your daughter has been doing increasingly better these past few months. I, for one, am rather proud of her.” Both parents went silent, Métier raising her eyebrows in shock while Recess shot a bright grin her way.

 

        “See? This guy knows what he’s doing! Besides, all work and no play makes Playtime a dull girl!” The woman scoffed at that phrase, but smiled nonetheless.

 

        “Yes, well... I see you have everything handled, Mr. Baldimore. Thank you for working with our daughter so expertly. Would it be possible to schedule a few tutoring sessions with  _you_ if the need arises?”

 

        “Absolutely! I'm always an email away if Playtime needs any math assistance."

 

        “Great!” The Principal looked overjoyed at the successful interaction. “Then it looks like you just need to check on the rest of Playtime’s classes now. The other teachers should be in their classrooms.”

 

        “Thank you, Principal.” Métier bowed her head in thanks before sidestepping the two faculty members and striding deeper into the school. Recess went after her, shooting Baldi an approving smile with two thumbs-up, and Playtime followed after them, laughing in delight now that she wasn’t in trouble over math anymore.

 

        “...See? Nothing to worry about. I have this under control.” Baldi sent a cheery smile to his colleague, his confidence not faltering at all. Clearly, he could handle a few parents. There was no reason for the other man to have been panicking earlier.

 

        “Oh, don’t celebrate just yet,” the Principal cautioned, smiling despite himself. Yes, this  _was_ going really well, but there were still three more sets of parents, and he wasn’t looking forward to-

 

         _“Shhhwwoooooo!”_ A strange whooshing sound cut off his thoughts, and not a second later, three tall sock puppets shuffled up to him. It was Arts and Crafters and his parents, which he stood behind nervously. The sock looked  _exactly_ like the two of them, save for some hair made of yarn and the messy lipstick on what Baldi assumed to be his mother’s face. Actually, he was having a hard time telling if that even  _was_ lipstick, for the mother had paint splatters all over her body. Maybe she was the creative type. It would certainly make sense.

 

        "Okay, just let _me_ do the talking.” Baldi gave his boss a dubious glance, only to realize what he meant just a moment later. The Principal turned to the sock family, opening his mouth and making similar whooshing sounds to the one heard earlier. The father responded in kind, his wife making some sort of laughing(?) sound in response to another whoosh from the Principal. In that moment, the reality his Baldi hard, rooting him to the spot as any words he had planned dissolved into nothing. Oh god, the parents _didn't speak English_. Different languages were not Baldi's forte, and the few, _very_ rare times he heard Arts and Crafters speak, it was always in English. He never even _considered_ those weird sounds were another language!

 

        "Baldi, this is Crochet and his wife, Finger Paint. They don't know English obviously, but they'd like to know how their son's math is going, so I'll translate for you, alright? Whenever you're ready." The Principal gave his crush a comforting pat on the back, clearly seeing a bit of nervousness on his face. Baldi had to get this right for the others sake, so thank _god_ he would have some help with it. Even if Arts and Crafters was bilingual, he doubted the sock would speak so much in this given moment.

 

        "R-Right, um-" The math teacher cleared his throat before giving the parents a friendly wave. "Hello! It's great to meet you both! You have _nothing_ to worry about; Arts and Crafters is the top of his class. I've never had a better student in my entire career." The sock in question shuffled awkwardly behind his parents and blushed at the high praise, but still enjoyed it very much, especially when Finger Paint gave him a big kiss on his head after having Baldi's words translated.

 

        Crochet nodded in approval, both him and his wife saying something before moving to shuffle into the hallway. Arts and Crafters shambled after them, actively avoiding making eye contact with Baldi, but muttering something barely audible as he passed.

 

        "Thank you..." The sock family disappeared down the hall, and Baldi let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.

 

        "I...was _not_ prepared for that." Immediately, the Principal began apologizing profusely.

 

        "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! It's just, there wasn't enough time to warn you and-" Before anything else could be said, a high-pitched robotic voice interrupted the conversation.

 

        "PR1NC1P47! TH3R3 Y0U 4R3!" A polygonal figure immediately hit him, pulling the Principal into an awkward hug since its arms hard no elbows to bend. "1T'5 B33N T00 70NG!" The robot pulled back, giving Baldi a chance to take in the details of its appearance as the Principal brushed himself off, trying to recover from the surprise attack. Though its body had sharp corners and points due to polygons, the robot definitely looked like a woman. She wore a bright orange dress, rough ovals serving as hands, wheels for feet, and no elbows or knees to speak of. How awkward _that_ must feel, Baldi didn't know, but it was definitely obvious she was 1st Prize's mother, as the two shared the exact same googly eyes.

 

        "H0W H4V3 Y0U B33N? D1D Y0U D0 S0M2TH1NG T0 Y0U H41R? Y0U 700K _50_ MUCH CUT3R N0W! 4NY GUYS C4TCH Y0UR 1NT3R35T Y3T? D1D Y0U T4KE '3M 0N 4 D4T3?" Baldi was so distracted by the sudden barrage of questions, he almost didn't notice the smaller robot rushing right at him. He barely managed to sidestep 1st Prize in time, bumping into his boss as the student continued down the hall, but also gaining the mother's attention at the same time. " _0H!_ 4ND JU5T _WH0_ 15 TH15 H4ND50M3 M4N N3XT T0 Y0U?"

 

        The tension was immediate. Both faculty members paused, trying to gauge whether this woman was being serious or just overly polite, but the Principal was instantly on high alert. This woman, Participation, had a problem of openly flirting with someone she had her eyes on, but since Baldi had never met her, he wasn't aware of the possible problem. Hopefully that was just a really friendly compliment.

 

        "Ahem- Uh, Baldi, this is Participation, the mother to 1st Prize. Participation, this is Professor Baldimore, out resident math teacher." Still trying to be polite, Baldi held out a hand and gave the woman a smile.

 

        "Pleased to meet you, ma'am." Participation grinned and used both hands to shake his, pulling him a litle closer in the process.

 

        "P73453D 4S PUNCH, MR. B47D1! Y0U KN0W, 1'M 2 51NG73 M0TH3R, 4ND 1'M SUR3 MY 71TT13 80Y W0U7D 70V3 T0 F1477Y H4V3 4 F4TH3R 0F H15 0WN~" The Principal's smile fell. That was not subtle at all.

 

        "I'm sure he would," Baldi replied, forcefully pulling his hand away. He still tried to be polite since his crush had fretted about this event so much, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't even a little weirded out by this complete stranger coming onto him. "But wouldn't you rather like to hear how your son's grades are? That's what this event is _for_ , after all." Participation giggled.

 

        "0H, C0M3 0N! C4N'T W3 H4V3 4 N1C3 CH3T F1R5T? 73T'S G3T T0 KN0W 34CH 0TH3R! D0 Y0U H4V3 4 W1F3? 4 G1R7FR13ND?"

 

        "I'd rather not get into that." The Principal watched the scene quietly, slowly becoming more and more upset as Participation shamelessly flirted with his crush. This was _not_ okay. How _dare_ she?! No one was allowed to flirt with Baldi except _him_ , rules be damned! And couldn't she tell he wasn't interested?? God, she must be blind _and_ unattractive. It's no wonder her husband divorced her.

 

        ...Good god, that was _really_ mean. The Principal actually felt bad about those thoughts, so he whistled absentmindedly as he tried to ignore the rising shame he felt stemming from his jealousy. This clearly caught Baldi's attention, and he gave the man a curious look, but quickly went back to focusing on the woman flirting with him. _Again._

 

        "Ma'am, I _really_ think you should care more about your son's grades. He's the second worst student in my class." Participation leaned forward to be closer to the teacher, fluttering her eyes at him while he took a step back.

 

        "0H, H3'77 83 F1N3! 45 70NG 45 H3 H45 4 CUT3, 70VA873 T34CH3R 71K3 _Y0U_ H37P1NG H1M~!" Baldi sighed. This was exasperating.

 

        "I don't think you understand the gravity of the situation. 1st Prize's math skills are utterly _abysmal_."

 

        "WH4T D035 _TH4T_ M4TT3R? MY 50N D035N'T N33D NUM83R5 T0 G3T F4R 1N 71F3 4NYW4Y! H3 C4N JU5T G1V3 P30P73 HUG5 4ND 83C0M3 TH31R FR13ND5 1N5T34D!" Now it was Baldi's turn to frown. He was greatly tempted to give this lady a few choice words regarding her stance on math, but reminded himself to be respectful. The Principal had been preparing for this night for a while. He wasn't about to let a clueless _nuisance_ mess this up for him.

 

        "I think we're done here," he stated coldly, crossing his arms over his chest with a _very_ upset expression. Participation giggled, clearly not taking the hint.

 

        "0H, C0M3 0N! W3 5T177 H4V3 _50_ MUCH M0R3 T0 T47K 4B0UT!" The teacher gritted his teeth, but kept his anger in check for his crush's sake.

 

        "No, we don't, seeing as you clearly can't see the importance of school and mathematics!"

 

        "4WW, Y0U'R3 JU5T 4 B1T GRUMPY!" The robot lifted her arms, reaching for the math teacher. "50UND5 71K3 50M30N3 N33D5 4 HUG~!" Baldi gave her an icy glare cold enough to freeze the fires of hell.

 

        **_"Don't."_** Participation ignored the warning and shot forward in an attempt to hug him, but Baldi reacted quickly, sidestepping her the same way he did with her son. This caused her to keep going down the hall, yet she was able to stop and turn around at a relatively fast rate.

 

        “Wh- Now, hang on a minute!” The Principal was ignored as Participation rushed towards the professor again, missing him by a few inches when he sidestepped again. Since this woman clearly wasn’t rational, and he didn’t want to be charged for assault against a student’s parent, Baldi grimaced and made a break for it down the hall. Those wheels of hers were awfully squeaky, making it easy to hear where she was going, so if he could just lose her in the building, he lhopefully wouldn’t have to deal with her again for the rest of the night.

 

        “B-Baldi?!” With wide eyes, the Principal watched the professor flee into the building, the robotic woman following after him at a slightly slower pace. Many thoughts and feelings were rushing around in the man’s head, from surprise, to sadness, and finally, anger. It had been clear from the start that Baldi wasn’t interested, and this lady just _refused_ to take the hint. Now she was terrorizing _his_ crush, chasing him around the school, trying to _steal_ _him_ _away_ , but ohhhh no, she was _not_ getting away with this. This...was the _last_ straw.

 

        Without even giving thought to the fact that he was now alone (______’s parents didn’t show up again), the Principal marched further into the building in search of either Baldi or Participation. Whichever one he found, he would make sure they knew that this sort of thing was _definitely_ not allowed in the halls.

 

        _No_ _one_ was going to flirt with _his_ man, thank you very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I haven’t been doing very well these past months. I’ve felt really guilty about not updating anything, so I made this an extra long one for you guys. You deserve at least that.
> 
> Please keep bearing with me. Things are the worst they’ve ever been right now, and I’m just trying to ride it out as best I can. I’ll try to have this next part up as soon as possible, so thank you for still being here, and if you need Participation’s words words transcribed for you, don’t be afraid to ask.
> 
> Thank you.


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